Tag Archives: artjournaling

Receiving is a good thing though they say giving is more important. Receiving is not what we think it is as in birthday presents and people doing you a favor. Those are all part of it, but to me, receiving is a state.

A state is a condition that we experience, FEEL. Most of us don’t have a clue about how to receive. Guilt plays a big role. We have to live by the convention of “I scratch your back so you scratch mine.”

It is an exchange of energy between people and I don’t disregard that, but receiving is so much more. It’s a state of “grace”, of being fulfilled, of gratitude for life as a whole, not just the perks we get.

When you’re in a state of receiving you are not chasing anything, no gains, no positions, no desires, no wants. You are open to receive whatever comes, but if you are filled with gratitude for life, mostly good things come to you.

It’s not easy to gain that state of receiving in a consistent manner, but by examining life and all those beliefs and habits that hold us back, we can learn to accept it ALL, and from there gain appreciation about the mystery of life.

We basically don’t know any more than newborn babies. They know more that we do in a greater sense. They are still pure and innocent, as we once were. They are in a state of receiving.

As are pets if you think about it. They lie around all day and don’t worry where their next meal is coming from. It never enters their mind, and they are always provided for.

In a sense they take for granted that life will support them. And it does.

Meanwhile, humans run around, or rush down the closest highway to get to nowhere. We worry and curse and plan. We are always chasing money. The whole day is revolving around making money.

We lost that innocent trust a long time ago, traded it for a man-made world that offers a lot of pain and suffering.

When we claim life and stop struggling, something shifts. Life becomes more beautiful and filled with situations we can be grateful for. The more accepting and grateful, the more abundant the gifts from the universe.

It’s not easy to change, but by becoming aware of what we do, and why, and what we say, and our prejudices, we can slowly shift the energy to be more supporting and loving of ourselves. The more you love yourself, the more the universe will support you!

What does this have to do with art, you ask? Really everything.

We tend to criticize and judge our art efforts harshly.

We compare ourselves to others.

We have an idea of what the art should look like, and it never does, so back condemning the effort. It can be a vicious cycle. Many stop making art because of it.

What if the art you make turns out ugly (in your opinion.) What then? Do you continue or just drop the whole adventure?

If we don’t stick with it, we miss out of the mystery. The adventure becomes a hurried rush down the highway, like with so many things we do.

We are addicted to doing and seeing results.

When you can shift and be in a receiving mode as you begin your art session, you are in a non-judgmental state and can receive the art as it manifests through you. That is such a gift!

It might not look like much, but your energy is in it. The receiving as a state of grace shows up in your art. Even if you only painted a blue line across the canvas, people will feel something.

We might admire technique but it’s the energy that draws us.

Stop chasing, become a receiver of life. Make open stillness be part of your daily process.

I did some art journaling lately. I can’t say I reached that magical state of wonder, but I had fun.

Be who you want to be.

A cat person…

Doodles

Strange lady… Summer solstice

More doodles…

I guess I was into yellow and blue this week.

To be open to receive is to allow, to accept, and live in gratitude for what is, and what appears on the page.

Follow me in Instagram. I post most photos there, @greeneearth

I have some ideas if you’re looking for a gift. My etsy shop has lots of cool gifts. Earth and Faery.

Practice never makes perfect is true in some sense, though I believe that practice makes perfect if, say, you’re learning a new language. The art practice never ends. Some say that if you can paint something hyper-realistic you might call it perfect, but I bet the artist still strives for even more perfection.

Truth is, why strive for perfection in the first place? Artists want to get better at their techniques, of course. They want to execute their craft better for more personal satisfaction.

But what if you just want to express yourself, not perfecting the craft of painting perfect landscapes or faces?

Everyone can express themselves. It only takes a willingness to try.

Trying involves getting some materials, like an art journal or old book that you can alter (use as an art journal.) Buy a few acrylic (fast-drying) paints in colors you love, get some glue or medium, a few brushes, some markers, and a bunch of old magazines.

You can paint a background with a couple of your paints, anything goes. Draw stick figures, paint them, cut out images from magazines, words that speak to you. Add more paint and writing if necessary. Add stuff until you feel it’s right, if not perfect.

Then you practice to let go. It’s good enough!

It’s a great way to see in color what is important to you in life, and art!

What it actually takes is to do it, no excuses.

Carve out some time for creativity. Explore who you are, your wishes and dreams. Expressing in art is an age-old practice.

practice

Art journaling can be challenging, but no one has to see your pages unless you want to share them.

Even if you hate the pages, at some point you’ll hit on a symbol or mixture of symbols you love and that will inspire you to continue making more pages. You’ll collect more stuff to add to your spreads, a bit at a time.

practice

practice

I keep making art because I feel a need for it. Maybe you won’t feel a need unless you really keep doing it, as with exercise. I can’t speak for you, but making art gives me a special kind of satisfaction, a feeling that it’s important.

I made a YouTube video of the first spread I made (above). You can watch it here to get inspired (hopefully.)

Without my art, my life seems to lack something. I go into my studio with anticipation and leave it feeling, oh well, many feelings, among them happiness, frustration, annoyance, challenged, inspired, accomplished. Every day is different.

I have more how-to videos on YouTube. They will help you explore your own creativity.

I have also made some more art journals for sale in my etsy shop. They will help if you fear the “blank white page.” ETSY SHOP.

Have a creative weekend, folks!

Here are a couple of blog posts about facing your fear and lack of motivation.

Honoring the oneness of everything is what artists do when we create out of nothing.

More often than not the mind tries to figure out “what to paint.” A wave of images from books and other artists flow through the mind, and there is EXPECTATION.

Gotta paint a face as good as the other artist’s face rendering. But that is not creating from nothing.

What if you sit or stand in your art area and don’t have a clue what to do next. That is creating from nothing. It can be scary and boring.

Actually, I sat down at my computer to write this post and I didn’t have a clue what to write, but I trusted that something would come. I centered myself in meditation, noticing all the images flying through my mind and settled on a journal I made. Writing always flows easily to me and I trust it.

The idea of creating from nothing intrigues me and I have a lot of curiosity about diving deeply into the art.

What if it didn’t matter

that the art turned out like crap (every day)?

that all you could manage was two pink dots?

that you felt like actually destroying the page?

that you struggled and had nothing inside?

that people would not take you seriously?

that you doubted yourself 100% but still showed up?

that you felt like you wouldn’t get anywhere with your art–ever?

It all comes down to trusting the process. If you feel like putting down one pink dot on the paper, do it. Feel within what paint you might like next and go for it. Slap it on, splatter it, wipe it into a brown mess, stab it with pencils, yell at it, add some collage, hate everything that comes out, but then…

Something happens. A spark, a clarity of sorts, a direct connection within that sets you on the track to something unexpected and beautiful.

It is effortless at this point and you will always love what comes out even if it seems weird (and wonderful.)

Convention is hard to crack. We don’t want to ruin the pristine look of our expensive art journal pages, etcetera.

I watched a video by an artist who took cheap composition books and made them into art journals. One interesting part was to crunch up every sheet of paper inside. She pointed out we’re connected to everything in life and the paper had once been a tree. By crunching it up she released the energy of the tree and set it free. I loved that idea. It set the paper on a whole new course.

Also, everything we touch is imprinted with our energy. When we make a journal, it’s truly imprinted with our own DNA, and it makes us own our art on a deeper level.

smash book

It was a lot of fun to make the journal and there is no preciousness about it. I can paint ugly all the way. It’s about diving deep and getting some answers through art. No one needs to see the art and judge it.